The first eye centre run by students has opened at West Coast Community Centre. Singapore.

The Centre offers eye checks and examinations by students under supervision for S$5.

The Centre has state-of-the-art equipment and is staffed under supervision by final year Singapore Polytechnic Optometry students.

The Centre was setup to give students training in a real work setting, but a spin-off benefit is that it makes eye tests available at a low price.

The tests can detect and diagnose conditions like glaucoma and cataract, which if left untreated, can lead to blindness.

The Centre's opening has benefited about 100 children who were treated and given free spectacles on opening day.

The Centre offers patients assessments on their vision, contact lens fitting and collection of spectacles.

"This is a win-win composition because on one hand, for the residents, we're providing a full suite of checkup. These are the things, if you go to full-fledge private setups, it's quite expensive, soÂ¢Ã—think for our residents, it's very good," said S Iswaran, Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

Patients who want treatment from a qualified optometrist at the Centre can get that at the cost of S$20 for a general eye examination.